Srinagar, November 24
Every year, at the onset of winter, the issue of power supply and smooth flow of essential commodities, mainly cooking gas, comes to the fore with the government assuring all possible measures to ensure their supply.

Power remains much in demand during winter months while its generation at hydel projects within the valley drops due to a decline in the water level in rivers and streams. Besides, there is also apprehension of disruption in the supply of essential commodities since due to bad weather, the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, the only surface link to the landlocked valley, gets blocked quite often.

What irks residents the most is power shortage due to which they sometimes have to resort to protests. The power supply is also hit by its misuse for heating purposes in houses and government offices. Though the meter system was launched about six years back to check power theft, it has not helped much.

To overcome the problem of demand and supply gap, a major portion of electricity is being purchased from the Northern Grid. There is a huge gap between the expenditure on the purchase of power and the revenue realised from consumers.

According to principal secretary, power, BR Sharma, while Rs 1,117 crore has been spent till now (this year) on the purchase of power from different sources, only Rs 127 core were recovered as tariff resulting into a whopping Rs 1,000 crore loss to the state. The availability of power during November has been estimated at 309 MW, which comprises 203 MW from central power stations, 68 from self-generation and 38 MW by diversions and other sources. Against this, the peak supply has been increased to 725 MW, according to a report by the principal secretary. This has been made available in the valley with the additional supply of 500 MW to the state from October 29 last when the Prime Minister announced this during his public meeting in Anantnag.

In order to overcome power shortage and generate more revenue, the Power Development Department (PDD) has launched various measures to check power theft. For this purpose, Sharma has sought cooperation of people and the media.

As per practice, the government has announced curtailment schedule daily to regulate the supply, which provides for 54-hour power cut every week (about eight hours daily). He said the capacity of transformers installed to the approved load was in the ratio of 8:1, but transformers get damaged due to overloading, which is a clear proof of the fact that some consumers were indulging in power theft.

Jammu, November 24
The local administration has taken up the issue of smoking at public places strictly. It is taking stringent measures to ensure that nobody is allowed to violate the law.

In the past less than a fortnight, the civil administration, with the active support of the police and the health department, has fined more than 500 individuals for violating the ban.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare imposed a blanket ban on smoking at public places in 2008.

The ministry issued a notification in this regard under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution), Act 2003.

As per the provisions of the law, anyone caught smoking at public places or private organisations would be fined Rs 200, which may rise to Rs 1,000. The authorities of all institutions have been authorised to impose and collect fine against the violation of Section 4. The law also allowed any individual to detain people found smoking at public places and take them to a magistrate.

Jammu deputy commissioner MK Dwivedi said, “In Jammu, the ban is being strictly imposed, health officers and the police have been penalising the violators”.

He said if someone was caught smoking at a public place, a fine of Rs 100 to Rs 500 was being imposed.

“Though the law states that the violator of law should be produced before the court and imprisoned, but as the violators turn apologetic, we only fine them”.

He said that as a rough estimate in the last less than a fortnight more than 500 individuals were fined by the authorities for smoking at the public places.

He said the main aim of the administration was to stop local youth from falling into the trap of drug abuse. “I have discussed the issue with the Jammu SSP and we are working to get rid of the menace of drug abuse”.

After the imposition of the ban in many cities across the country, special smoking zones have been identified, but in Jammu, no such zone exists.

“The prevalence of smoking is not much in Jammu so no smoking zones have been identified. The zones are there in other cities in corporate offices but there is none in Jammu,” Dwivedi said.

Local hotels and restaurants, too, haven’t identified any smoking zones as the owners say their guests are free to smoke in their own rooms.

Jammu, November 24
First, people waited for six months for Darbar secretariat to come to the winter capital from Srinagar, now they have to wait for hours to meet their ‘babus’ and ‘netas’.

The plight of public not ends here, as they have to stand outside the secretariat on the VVIP Road for hours in cold. The secretariat also sans proper sitting arrangement.

A visit by The Tribune team revealed that a number of people, not having much source of income and with their woes, including physically disabled, were found standing for hours in cold outside the secretariat.

“It is not an easy task to meet any senior official of the state here. I am waiting for my turn to go inside for the past three hours standing on the road in cold winds,” said Sham Lal of Udhampur, adding that he had come to the secretariat to meet RS Chib, Health Minister of the state, but was denied entry by security personnel deployed on the road.

Another visitor, Kewal Krishan, physically disabled and a resident of Rehal village in Bishnah, said: “It is a tough task for people like me suffering from polio or any other major disease to stand and wait for hours in cold, but have no other option left”.

Krishan further added that he reached the secretariat around 11 am and was told by security personnel to wait outside till 2 pm.

A number of visitors lament that they do not have enough money to come to the secretariat daily, but no one pays heed to their woes. It seems netas of the state have no time for public after the elections.

A security personnel (not wearing the name tag) deployed on the road leading to the secretariat said: “This is our duty and we know how to do the job, so please don’t interfere in our work. We are deployed here to stop public entering in the secretariat premises”.

Kathua, November 24
The pollution level in the twin towns of Kathua and Lakhanpur, both considered as gateway of Jammu and Kashmir, is alarming.

The primary reason is attributed to the setting up of industries on the outskirts of these towns with industrialists not caring two hoots for emission norms. Thousands of vehicles entering the state via Lakhanpur toll post also add to the problem.

The worst sufferers are residents living in the areas like Govindpur, Hatli, Kali Bari and around railway station here, as scores of industries have come up along the Jammu-Lakhanpur highway and Kathua-Govindpur road, mostly at Hatli Morh and Kathua Industrial Complex.

About 2,000 workers and their family members residing in quarters constructed within the industrial complex have become prone to various diseases due to high pollution level in the area. Industries producing synthetic yarn, cement, CI pipes or sanitary items keep emanating toxic smoke all the time.

Adding to the pollution level are thousands of vehicles which enter the state via Lakhanpur with a majority of them without anti-pollution certificates.

An official spokesman said the district administration recently held a meeting where industrialists were told to take immediate measures to cut their emission level or face action.

The meeting was chaired by Kathua deputy commissioner Sanjeev Verma.

Admitting that the pollution level was on the higher side, a representative of industrialists, however, claimed that anti-pollution devices had been installed by some unit holders and others were ready to cooperate with the department.

He, however, asserted that the pollution control board was not doing enough in guiding the industrialists so that such devices could be properly used or installed.

The deputy commissioner directed the industrialists to dispose of liquid waste of their units in the Mghar Khad area through a nullah for which funds had already been sanctioned, the spokesman added.

Srinagar, November 24
Apart from getting a weaver service centre, the valley will get priority while deciding about setting up 15 more textile parks across the country, said Rita Menon, Secretary, Textiles, Government of India, interacting with a delegation of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here on November 20.

According to Nasir Hamid Khan, Secretary-General of the KCCI, the Textiles Secretary assured the chamber that Kashmir would be accorded top priority while setting up of 15 textile parks.

Khan said the welfare of artisans and handloom weavers was also discussed wherein it was pointed out that although different schemes like health and life insurance had been in vogue since long, Kashmir had been lagging behind in benefiting from these plans.

The possibility of banks adopting certain districts for inclusive growth of certain sectors on the pattern of Punjab National Bank adopting Moradabad was also discussed.

Menon assured the chamber that its proposals were receiving top consideration from the Centre as some of its proposals had already being taken up for sanction. In this regard, she mentioned the sanctioning of a weaver service centre for Kashmir.”

The Textiles Secretary also gave in principle permission and support for holding two fairs and exhibitions every year.

Jammu, November 24
Forgotten parks, rotaries and slopes are now getting special attention in the beautification drive launched by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to give a facelift to the city.

The corporation is putting all efforts to make the city green and clean. The corporation has engaged labourers for painting walls with the slogan “keep the city green and clean”. The labourers are also planting saplings, ornamental plants and seasonal flowers in rotaries, parks and over the slopes to enhance the beauty of the city.

According to sources, an amount of Rs 3.50 lakh has been earmarked for the beautification of the city with refurbishing around the Municipal parks, slopes and rotaries which had remained ignored so far by the corporation.

Around Rs 1,20,500 has been spent so far by the corporation for beautifying the city.

The main areas where the work under the drive has been started are Indira Chowk, BC Road, Gumat Bazaar, Vivekanand Chowk and DC Office Viewpoint.

The drive has started with the whitewashing of the sides of footpaths and painting of iron grills laid all along the passage made for plantation in between the roads from the airport leading to the city.

Fresh green leafy plants and shrubs are also being planted on this passage to make the city look green.

Side parks on both sides of the only flyover are being given a new look with the hanging shrubs at several places adding to the beauty of the city.

Towering searchlights at prominent places are also being renovated to make the city glowing during nights.

A special drive has been launched to rectify the tube lights on the roadside electricity poles as well.

Neelam Sharma, a resident of Vivekanand Chowk, said: “It is only for six months when the corporation works hard to keep the city clean. But when the Darbar shifts back to the valley, the city adopts shabby look again”.

Besides this, the corporation is also going to install the statues of Indira Gandhi, Justice Mehar Chand Mahajan and Dr Shama Prasad Mukherjee.

Mayor Kavinder Bhushan Gupta said the drive had been started to enhance the beauty of the Temple City. He appealed to the people to extend their support to the corporation in keeping the city clean. He appealed to them to dump domestic waste only in the garbage bins placed by the corporation instead of throwing it into lanes and drains.

Jammu, November 24
Going by the dilapidated condition of the winter capital’s only stadium, MA stadium, one can gauge the sorry state of sports infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

During a visit to the stadium, one can see crumbling indoor stadiums, walls and dangling electricity wires posing danger to all.

A visit by The Tribune team to the stadium revealed that most of the grounds and halls inside the stadium complex, including kabaddi ground, weightlifting hall and judo hall, were crying for immediate attention of the authorities concerned.

One can’t even stand for a minute in the weightlifting hall and the judo hall as they stink. Even there is no arrangement of toilets for players.

“We have to practice hard for about four to six hours daily, but the poor infrastructure has restricted our practice to one hour only. You can better understand, are we able to compete with other state’s sportspersons?” said Dhanna Singh, a weightlifter.

The plight of players doesn’t end here. There is a kabaddi ground in the complex which has ironically no space left for kabaddi to take place, as congress grass and bushes have grown up everywhere.

The players said they had to face several problems while practicing in the grounds. “Practice session in the stadium has lost its charm, as the things have worsened here. Earlier, we used to come here regularly and have also bagged medals in several tournaments. But, now the poor condition of infrastructure has spoiled our game,” lamented sportspersons.

Surprisingly, when the stadium was constructed the then government wanted it to be developed as per the international standards. However, the present condition of the stadium is no different from a piece of wasteland.

Sources in the Sports Department disclosed that the funds were also allocated to officials, but the sports infrastructure development plan had not yet been finalised.

A senior official of the J&K Sports Council said they had written to the higher authorities for several times, but no one paid attention to the stadium.

Jammu, November 24
Talent hunt programmes launched by different TV channels have encouraged children of Jammu to aim bigger in their life. The children who have participated in Boogie Woogie last year are now looking forward to get another opportunity to flourish their talent on the national platform.

Samantha Krandu, 12, the only girl from Jammu who participated in Boogie Woogie, a dancing talent hunt show in 2008, enthralled the audience by presenting her delightful dance items on the national platform. She has decided to go ahead with her talent and is now looking for another similar opportunity to flourish her talent.

Besides being outstanding in dancing, these children are also excellent in their studies. Samantha has always been a position holder. She is in class VII and is still studying with the same dedication.

“We are proud of her. She has brought laurels to the state by participating in such a big programme. Her talent has never affected her studies. It was her childhood talent and luckily she got the opportunity to exhibit her talent in front of the country,” said her father Ravinder Krandu.

Besides Boogie Woogie, Samantha has displayed her talent in a few national talent programmes in Delhi. She has also participated in various state and provincial-level dancing programmes. She has participated in talent hunt programmes held in other states like Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. She desires to succeed in the field of dance at the national level.

“My participation in the national talent hunt programme has brought fame to me, my family and my dancing institute. The whole credit goes to my parents and my choreographer Shashi Gupta,” said Samantha.

Similarly Aadhar Koul, 11, who is studying in class VI and was the partner of Samantha in the show, is good in studies and is hopeful of getting an opportunity in Boogie Woogie.

Getting surprised by the spellbound performance of Rishab Nijhawan, 14, who was another partner of Samantha in the second round of the show, Ravi Bhel assured him of direct entry in the show this year.

Showing excitement for participating again in the show, Rishab, who is in class X, said: “I will definitely avail the opportunity because my mother wants me to see on TV again. I will also try to do well in my board examinations”.

He has also participated in many cultural programmes held in and outside the state. He gives credit to his dancing teacher Shashi Gupta.

Romit Sawhney, 26, who teaches dance in many private schools, participated in the show as a partner of Aadhar Koul.

Romit said: “Everyone recognises us which makes us happy. We have got name and fame by participating in the show”.

The selection of these Jammu children in talent hunt shows has boosted the morale of learners in different dancing institutes. Not only children, but also youngsters are also joining these institutes in large numbers.

“The children in the age group of 4 to 15 are coming in large numbers for acquiring the art of dancing. Good number of youngster of the age group of 25 to 30 are also coming to join these institutes,” said the choreographer.

“Earlier people wanted to see their children becoming a doctor or an engineer, but now becoming a film actor or a singer gives you name and fame. Why not to groom our children as actors when it is also a well-paid job?” said Kamlesh Kumari, a resident of Indira Chowk.

Nobody seems to care about the warning signs displayed by the Wildlife Department on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, prohibiting people from giving eatables to monkeys present on the roadsides.

These roadside monkeys have been responsible for many road mishaps and feeding them attracts hordes of simians to the roads. Many of these monkeys have lost their lives in road accidents.

Jammu, November 24
Till sometime ago, pricey onion brought tears in the eyes of consumers. Now, it is fruits, pulses and other vegetables, which has forced housewives to reorganise their monthly budget.

The prices of almost all grocery items have gone up by almost 15 to 50 per cent in the past couple of days. People are left with no choice but to curb other expenditure. “It is getting extremely difficult for families like ours which are totally dependent on a single-earning member. The ever-increasing food bill has sent the household budget for a toss,” laments Anita Sharma, a housewife.

“In the past couple of months, our monthly grocery bill has gone up from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. We have been forced to cut our expenditure on outings, movies etc. We are also not buying any new goods,” says another housewife, Sumita Bhatt.

The prices of peas have witnessed a sharp increase of Rs 35 and are available at Rs 105 per kg at present.

The price of tomato has also doubled to Rs 40 and those of fruits have also gone up considerably.

The price of wheat flour has gone up to Rs 20 per kg against Rs 14 last week. Sugar is now available at Rs 45 a kg, up from Rs 33. Egg prices have also shot up to Rs 46 a dozen, showing an increase of Rs 9 per dozen, while pulses like moong dhuli, arhar and urd are up by almost Rs 30 per kg.

The price of milk has increased from Rs 20 to 22. Similarly, desi ghee has registered a price rise of Rs 40 a litre.